50 Essex Street
K-12 School in Cambridge, MA
At a glance
50 Essex Street is a 25,840-square-foot K-12 school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 1950. In its 2018 Cambridge benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 16 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 134.2 kBtu/ft² and 191 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 5% of the 38 scored K-12 school buildings in Cambridge.
BEUDO · reporting year 2018
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 16 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 134.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 169.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 191 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | — |
| Electricity | 122,912 kWh |
| Natural gas | 30,492 therms |
| Water use | 182 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 25,840 sq ft |
| Source record | cambridge:B1888:2018 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018latest | 16 | +8 | 134.2 kBtu/ft² | 191 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 8 | ±0 | 129.8 kBtu/ft² | 187 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 8 | -91 | 140.1 kBtu/ft² | 200 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 99 | 13.4 kBtu/ft² | 27 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
BEUDO
Cambridge's 2023 BEUDO amendments require non-residential buildings of 100,000+ sq ft to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 (reductions starting 2026) and those of 25,000–100,000 sq ft by 2050 (starting 2030).
Ownership
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston
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Location
- Address
- 50 Essex Street
- City
- Cambridge
- State
- Massachusetts
- Coordinates
- 42.36750, -71.10090
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- 250 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
Laboratory · 1,362,662 sq ft
- 250 Massachusetts Avenuescore —
Laboratory · 517,029 sq ft
- 70 PACIFIC STscore —
College/University · 362,687 sq ft
- 1493 Cambridge Streetscore 33
Hospital (General Medical & Surgical) · 360,250 sq ft
- 1575 Cambridge Streetscore —
Outpatient Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy · 352,622 sq ft
- 610 Main Streetscore —
Laboratory · 278,738 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Cambridge · biggest emitters
How does 50 Essex Street compare with other K-12 school buildings in Cambridge?
The latest disclosures cover 45 K-12 school buildings in Cambridge, out of 902 buildings citywide. 50 Essex Street's ENERGY STAR score of 16 compares with an average of 60 across the 38 that report a score; it scores higher than 5% of them and lower than 92%. Its site EUI of 134.2 kBtu/ft² is about twice the average of 62.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group.
At 25,840 sq ft, it is about 58% below the average floor area of 61,739 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1950, 6 years earlier than the group's average year built (1956). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has 50 Essex Street's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 4 Cambridge disclosures for 50 Essex Street, covering report years 2015–2018. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 99 in 2015 to 16 in 2018 (-83 points); its best year on file was 2015, at 99. Site EUI moved from 13.4 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 134.2 kBtu/ft² (2018), an 901% increase. Reported emissions went from 27 tCO₂e to 191 tCO₂e over the same span (up 621%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 16 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 16 means the building performs better than about 16% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 16 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 59 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In Cambridge, 50% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. 50 Essex Street's 134.2 kBtu/ft² across 25,840 sq ft works out to about 3.5 billion Btu (1,016 MWh-equivalent) in 2018. Its source EUI of 169.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 122,912 kWh of electricity, 30,492 therms of natural gas and 182 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires 50 Essex Street to report its energy use?
50 Essex Street reports under BEUDO, the legal basis of Cambridge's Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO), which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2018 disclosure (source record cambridge:B1888:2018). Cambridge's 2023 BEUDO amendments require non-residential buildings of 100,000+ sq ft to reach net-zero emissions by 2035 (reductions starting 2026) and those of 25,000–100,000 sq ft by 2050 (starting 2030).
More K-12 school buildings in Cambridge
- 178 Coolidge Hill· 21,553 sq ft · score 29 (D)
- 255 Bent St· 16,704 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- 255 Bent St· 16,407 sq ft · score 47 (D)
- 178 Coolidge Hill· 14,101 sq ft
- 178 Coolidge Hill· 14,101 sq ft · score 17 (D)
- 178 Coolidge Hill· 11,703 sq ft · score 9 (D)
- K-12 School buildings in Cambridge· 45 benchmarked
- All Cambridge benchmarked buildings· BEUDO
- Most efficient large buildings in Cambridge
- Least efficient large buildings in Cambridge
- Biggest emitters in Cambridge
Frequently asked questions
What is 50 Essex Street's energy grade?
50 Essex Street scores 16 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2018 Cambridge disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does 50 Essex Street use?
Its 2018 site energy-use intensity was 134.2 kBtu/ft² (169.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 25,840 sq ft, including 122,912 kWh of electricity and 30,492 therms of natural gas.
What are 50 Essex Street's carbon emissions?
50 Essex Street reported 191 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions for 2018.
Where is 50 Essex Street?
50 Essex Street is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its coordinates are 42.36750, -71.10090 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) file.
How big is 50 Essex Street and when was it built?
50 Essex Street has 25,840 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2018 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1950 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is 50 Essex Street covered by BEUDO?
Yes — it appears in the 2018 Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under BEUDO.
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) (BEUDO), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “50 Essex Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts — 2018 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/cambridge/50-essex-street-39333ffc (data as of October 2, 2026).